Luminaire Design Challenge (For Students Only)
This event which is for Students who are passionate about lighting, design, and innovation. It is a fun and interactive challenge invites participants to put their creativity into action and explore how ideas can take shape through light.
It is ideal for all students who love a creative challenge.
Wonderful awards will be given to each person of the top three teams as determined by the expert judges!
Date: November 19, 2026 Competition Time: 10:00 AM - 02:00 PM Judging Time: 02:00 PM - 03:00 PM
Challenge Format
- 30-minute given for introduction and random topic selection to competitors
- 2-hour luminaire design and creation
- 30-minutes for presentation of luminaires and awards
Competition
- A max of 6 competing teams, with 3 members per team
- Before the competition begins a random topic will be drawn to inspire the luminaire design
DAY-2 (19 November, 2026)
Slot: 20
GLOW FOR IT - Luminaire design challenge
Judges
Viz Saraby
Professor & Coordinator of Interior Design at George Brown Polytechnic
Viz Saraby is an interior designer, educator, and artist with more than 25 years of experience spanning professional practice and post-secondary design education. She is Professor and Coordinator of Interior Design at George Brown Polytechnic, where she has played a key role in curriculum and program development, including the launch of the Interior Design Degree Completion Program and the program’s CIDA accreditation process. Her teaching and professional practice encompass interior design, lighting, sustainability, accessibility, and the integration of conceptual thinking with technical design. Viz holds degrees in Architecture from University College London and Interior Design from Toronto Metropolitan University, as well as an MA in Art History from the University of Toronto. She has served as a judge for both the Canadian Interiors Best of Canada Design Competition and the IIDEX Product Awards, and has a particular interest in how lighting can be used to reinforce and enhance the conceptual intent of a space.
Mayu Shan
Product Design Manager at Liteline Corporation
Mayu Shan, LC, is Product Design Manager at Liteline Corporation, with more than 20 years of experience in LED luminaire design and product safety compliance. He designs luminaires to ENERGY STAR, Title 24, DLC, and UL standards, and he established Liteline’s ISO/IEC 17025-accredited safety lab to speed up certification. Before Liteline, he was Technical Manager at Solera Corp. He holds a BSc in Physics and a Master’s in Engineering Management. A longtime IES volunteer, he has served the IES Toronto Section as webmaster, treasurer, vice president, and president, and he is currently District1 Vice Chair of IES.org.
Glow for It Design Competition Committee:
Dan Hadash
Senior Lighting Designer at SMP Engineering
Dan Hadash, with 27 years in lighting, leads projects across commercial, healthcare, and public spaces. He is IES Calgary President and serves on key committees shaping lighting upgrades and industry engagement. He’s also active within the IALD and LIRC.
Shay Steinberg
Faculty, Engineering Technology & Interior Design
Shay Steinberg is a lighting design professor at George Brown Polytechnic, where she developed the college’s introductory and advanced lighting design curricula for interior design students. Her multidisciplinary education includes industrial design, lighting design, user experience design and a master’s degree in education. Her teaching connects technical knowledge with creative exploration, helping students understand how light shapes the experience of a space and translate design concepts into practical lighting strategies.
Shay's background in industrial design informs her approach at both the scale of the individual luminaire and the spaces it illuminates. As the founder of Shaype Design, she brings experience spanning lighting showroom sales and specifications, residential lighting design for homeowners, interior designers and developers, and custom luminaire design for specialty interiors. She brings her varied perspectives together in her design practice and teaching, with a particular interest in how light and the built environment influence human perception and well-being.
As a Canada Light Expo board member and co-coordinator of Glow For It – The Student Luminaire Challenge, Shay helps create opportunities for students to experiment with light, explore materials and connect with the lighting industry.
